Chapter 176

"What kind of thing? I, as the person involved, have accepted it; what is it that you cannot accept?"

Zhou Yinhe lifted his thin eyelids slightly, "It's not cheating; what are you bothered about?"

Qi Zhan doesn't mind Zhao Xingtang hiding it from him; what he minds is that Zhao Xingtang is scheming against his childhood friend, whom he has protected, indulged, and coaxed like a younger brother since they were young.

Although they are not related by blood, in the eyes of him, Jiang Jibai, and Ke Chengyu, Zhou Yinhe has long been regarded as their own younger brother.

Zhou Yinhe could roughly guess his thoughts; he stood up, walked over to Qi Zhan, and lowered his gaze to look at him.

"I really don't mind; this matter has nothing to do with you. Don't let it create a rift between you and the person you like, or the one you love, because of me."

Qi Zhan shook his head: "You don't mind, but what about Wen Ling? She schemed not only against you, but also against Wen Ling; you are both innocent."

Zhou Yinhe remained silent until Qi Zhan lifted his head and looked at him, then he said: "At least she hasn't done anything harmful to us yet; our reconciliation is surely also pushed by Zhao Xingtang, so in this regard I should thank her. As for Wen Ling, I cannot make decisions for her, but given my understanding of her, she won't hold a grudge against someone who is unaware."

Qi Zhan gazed at him quietly, his eye sockets gradually becoming reddened.

Since childhood, he has been the younger brother who needed those older brothers to indulge and coax him; since reuniting with his beloved, he has actually grown up, matured, and learned to comfort them.

Zhou Yinhe crouched down, "Don't keep this in mind, don't think about me or for my sake; just think of yourself."

Qi Zhan lowered his head in embarrassment and gave a muffled "uh."

"Alright, then remember to tell Jiang Jibai and Ke Chengyu; they're quite worried about you." Zhou Yinhe stood up, "I'm leaving first; Ah Ling hasn't woken yet, I don't want her to wake up and not find me."

"Oh." Qi Zhan still found some of Zhou Yinhe's actions speechless.

After Zhou Yinhe left, Qi Zhan sent a message in their group.

Jiang Jibai and Ke Chengyu pretended not to know that Qi Zhan had been acting strangely lately; they only asked him: "We plan to visit Wen Lao this afternoon; Qin Lao will also be there. Are you coming?"

Wen Lao is not only renowned in M Country; there are also rumors about him within Hua Guo, such as his decisive and vigorous style, overturning clouds and rain in M Country's originally lax management, leaving behind achievements that their elders often use as examples to educate them.

Qi Zhan hesitated for a moment, then replied: "Going, what time?"

Zhao Ningyan chimed in: "How about three in the afternoon? I'm free at three, I'll also go pay a visit."

The others all replied with an okay expression.

As for Zhou Yinhe, he only glanced at the group message while waiting for a red light, replied with an okay expression, and then didn't interject in their discussion about what gift would be suitable to prepare for Wen Ling.

Returning to Chen Yue Fu, Wen Ling was still asleep; at this moment one leg had already slipped off the bed, and if she turned over completely she would fall.

Zhou Yinhe didn't even care that his clothes were outdoor wear; he first lifted Wen Ling's leg, adjusted her posture, then went to change into indoor clothes.

Qin Lao and Wen Lao probably went to the rear Botanical Park for early practice; Zhou Yinhe didn't want to disturb them, so he naturally followed his heart and continued holding Wen Ling while catching up on sleep.

When Wen Ling woke up, Zhou Yinhe was still asleep, but the moment she moved, he reflexively awoke and wanted to scoop her up.

"I'm awake."

Seeing his action, Wen Ling understood what he meant; since she and Zhou Yinhe reconciled, their feelings have deepened while her sleeping posture has worsened, probably because she feels secure; no matter how dishonest she is, Zhou Yinhe is always nearby and can quickly scoop her back from the edge of the bed.

Zhou Yinhe blearily opened his eyes, glanced at her, then pulled Wen Ling back and held her.

Since autumn began, the temperature has dropped quickly; a couple of days ago they might still have been wearing short sleeves, but these past two days, at the lowest temperature, Wen Ling already wishes she could wear a down jacket.

Being pulled into his warm chest, Wen Ling adjusted her posture slightly and leaned against him obediently.

"What did you do this morning?"

Zhou Yinhe gave a doubtful hum, thinking Wen Ling didn't know he had gone out; he hadn't prepared to tell her about his meeting with Qi Zhan, and only said: "I went to the company to sign a few important documents."

Wen Ling just thought he had suddenly become diligent, didn't think much of it, rubbed against his front and back, gently closed her eyes, and prepared to sleep again.

She was about to drift off when she suddenly remembered that there were two grandfathers at home waiting to be taken care of.

Wen Ling struggled to pull out of Zhou Yinhe's embrace, while struggling she said: "Where are my grandfather and maternal grandfather? We're sleeping here; what about them?"

Zhou Yinhe gripped her wrist and pressed it in front of him, closing his eyes wearily: "Don't worry, I've already had the butler and assistant follow them; besides, Qin Lao is still there—how could they get lost?"

Wen Ling felt somewhat hesitant and torn; Zhou Yinhe lowered his head and kissed her forehead, his voice hoarse but soft: "If you really can't sleep, then let's continue; last night, because you caught up on sleep, I missed out on several compensations."

"You're being nonsensical." Wen Ling closed her eyes, helplessly saying: "If you keep this up, I'm afraid I'll have to get the doctor to prescribe you some kidney-tonic pills."

"No need, thank you for your kindness; I am naturally beautiful and my kidneys are naturally good. You can go thank Ms. Ning Qing and Chairman Zhou Shuanglin—they're the ones who gave me this good physique."

Even if Zhou Yinhe were even more tired, he subconsciously wanted to retaliate; the sarcastic Wen Ling didn't know whether to praise his thick skin.

"Hurry up and sleep; a little more and it'll be noon. This afternoon Jiang Jibai and the others are coming to visit Wen Lao." Zhou Yinhe pressed one hand on the back of Wen Ling's head and gently patted her back with the other to lull her to sleep.

He has grown accustomed to soothing Wen Ling; whenever Zhou Yinhe soothes her in this way, she falls asleep quickly—this is personally attested by Wen Ling.

They hadn't yet slept until it was time to get up when the butler came knocking on the door.

"Miss, Fifth Young Master, it's almost time for lunch; what cuisine would you like for lunch?"

Zhou Yinhe merely shifted his body, turned his head toward the door, and shouted: "Anything is fine; go ask Qin Lao and Wen Lao. If we haven't woken by noon, then you should keep them company."

The butler acknowledged and then left.

Wen Ling had already been woken up; now she couldn't sleep anymore. She pushed Zhou Yinhe and whispered: "It's New Year's, time to eat dumplings."

Zhou Yinhe sensed something, snapped his eyes open, and just managed to catch Wen Ling in the act of preparing a prank.

Wen Ling pinched a strand of her own hair, preparing to tease Zhou Yinhe.

"What are you doing?"

Wen Ling suddenly released her grip on her hair, smiling narrowly: "I'm not doing anything."

"Really? I thought you were about to bully me again." Zhou Yinhe curled his lips.

"How could that be? In your eyes am I really that bad?"

"Hmm, yes." Zhou Yinhe nodded.

Wen Ling lifted her chin proudly and boasted: "Badness can be divided into good-bad or especially bad; which kind am I in your heart?"